


You're My Compass and My Sea

by CmmanderShepard



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Adept (Mass Effect), Biotic Shepard (Mass Effect), Destroy Ending, Domestic Fluff, EDI is still alive though don't worry, EVERYTHING IS FINE fuck the 'oh the relays destroyed synthetic life', F/M, Fluff, Foals, Paragon Shepard (Mass Effect), Shepard Can Cook cause like biotics, Shepard Can Sing, Sole Survivor (Mass Effect), Spacer (Mass Effect), also i'm bad at summaries forgive me, also idk where Javik is kinda forgot to put him in here sorry-maybe he's with liara on thessia, i promise my writing is better than my tags, she still can't dance though, so are the Geth on Rannoch, the end is uhhh real fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 15:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17470211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CmmanderShepard/pseuds/CmmanderShepard
Summary: Shepard is alive and well after defeating the Reapers, but not well enough to return to active duty. She's officially in retirement after almost dying this time, and is cooking dinner for Kaidan and herself to the soundtrack of some music from the 2000s/2010s.The band mentioned in this fic is Foals, and the two songs I use are "Milk and Black Spiders" and "After Glow" if you'd like to queue them up for when that part of the fic is reached! The title of this fic is taken from a lyric in "Milk and Black Spiders".





	You're My Compass and My Sea

It had been nearly a year since the final battle with the Reapers had culminated, the Citadel rebuilt again after it had been damaged while held hostage over Earth. However, it had only been a few months since Commander Ariel Shepard had been released from the Hospital. The damage to her body had been extensive, but through a combination of the implants she had already received from Cerberus and the combined efforts of Miranda Lawson, Doctor Chakwas and a number of other medical professionals, Shepard wasn’t quite fit for duty, but at least fit for a well-deserved retirement. Sure, she had some new scars, but she had been missing quite a few of those post Lazarus reconstruction, and had a feeling Kaidan would appreciate something new to trace.

Her time in the hospital at least hadn’t been too dull, with Kaidan keeping her company as much as his Spectre obligations allowed him once the adept was able to have visitors (though really, she thought Kaidan should have had priority, there was no reason for him to have been denied the necessary clearance). Still, the friendly face was welcome, other crew members visiting when they had free time as well, her mother visiting before anyone to make sure her daughter wasn’t dead…again. Of course, Shepard was just glad to see her mother alive, having known she was a large part of the Crucible project had made her a bit worried that something may have happened.

One of the benefits of being cooped up in a hospital was the opportunity to explore hobbies aside from model ship and fish collecting which, while both good hobbies, weren’t very…engaging. Traynor made it a point to visit every week and play a game or two of chess, using the chess set Shepard had…liberated from Oleg Petrovsky during her time with Aria retaking Omega. Joker and EDI made it a point to bring her lots of old vids to keep her occupied, thankfully keeping the Blasto series out of it.

Cortez and James stopped by each week for Biotiball tournaments, Shepard supporting the Seattle Sorcerers just as she had back in the Apartment on the Citadel. Ken and Gabby stopped by with new ships to add to her collection, most of which had been in the last battle, the boxes occupying one of the corners until she could build them and add them to a display case somewhere that wasn’t her cabin on the Normandy.

Her non-Alliance squadmates vidcalled to keep her company while they helped rebuild their respective homeworlds. Liara taught her the only song she knew on piano while Glyph coordinated other Asari rebuilding Thessia in the background. Garrus passionately recounted tales about his fallen teammates during his stint as Archangel on Omega, giving Shepard a clear view of each member before they became nothing more than a name engraved into Garrus’ visor.

Wrex and Bakara wasted no time in introducing her to the hundreds of small Krogan running around now that the Genophage wasn’t an issue, a disturbing amount bearing her name (some Shepard and others named Ariel) and just as many with Mordin’s, making the biotic tear up a bit remembering her scientist Salarian. Tali had called from Rannoch, showing the progress of construction thus far, Geth Primes behind her assisting in the construction of a wall, a group of Quarians assisting as much as they were able to.

Kaidan had introduced her to what became her favorite discovery of sorts, music from different eras of Earth’s history, something she hadn’t been able to explore for herself growing up on the ships her mother served. Before he was sent to Brain Camp, he explained, one of his favorite things to do had been going through old music he had been given by his grandparents, resulting in the L2 having a bit of an eclectic music taste that he was all too excited to share with Shepard.

Out of the decades of music the Sentinel had shown her, Shepard found that she loved the music from the early 2000s. Despite being nearly 200 years old, the music had lyrics and themes that the adept felt drawn to, lyrics such as ‘When I go to walk the line, the fire may come but we’ll be just fine’ just felt…right. The blonde found herself loving this centuries old band called Foals, and frequently found herself humming melodies from their music. Hell, she found herself wanting to have her first dance with Kaidan to one of their songs, he hadn’t proposed yet (and she couldn’t dance, but that was beside the point), of course, but it was inevitable that it’d happen when she was finally able to leave this damned hospital that he would.

 

Now, Shepard was cooking dinner for herself and Kaidan in the apartment she had inherited from Admiral Anderson. Kaidan was out on the Citadel attending to his Spectre duties, something that the former Marine wished she could be doing as well. Nevertheless, he’d be home soon, the lack of the Reaper threat meant Spectre work was primarily desk work helping those still displaced on the Citadel. Her Sentinel had made her steak back when they were on Shore Leave, but the Adept was far more proficient at making pasta, spaghetti in particular, she couldn’t recall a time when she was able to make Alenko her signature dish. With the fresh ingredients from the Citadel and an actual kitchen, the ex-Spectre was able to make the food actually taste good.  
  
Ariel had decided that she needed music as she cooked, which resulted in the band Kaidan had shown her—Foals—blaring throughout the apartment on Anderson’s sound system, the song Milk and Black Spiders playing. Shepard was singing along exuberantly as she tended to the sauce, her singing skills far better than her dancing skills, adding various spices to the red sauce as she went.

“Oh, I know you’re still with me,” she sang, adding salt, “you’re my compass and my sea.”

What the Adept hadn’t noticed was Kaidan standing in the doorway, watching the love of his life sing her heart out as she made them dinner. His whiskey colored eyes followed her movements as she cooked and he made his way over to Shepard, their biotics mingling as he neared, her blue eyes glancing up from the stove and making contact with his as he joined her in singing.

“Cause I love you dearly, follows billion miles away.” He sang, moving behind her to press a kiss to her cheek, her free hand swatting him away.

 “Kai I’m trying to cook.” She chastised with a laugh, pointedly stirring the sauce.

“Let me help then.” The Sentinel responded, moving to her right and tending to the angel hair pasta that was boiling,

“Here, add some of this salt to it.” Shepard instructed, handing him the condiment.

Kaidan did as he was told, adding salt and stirring the noodles in the water before replacing the lid on the pot.  
  
Alenko snuck another cheek kiss, Shepard not protesting this time, instead bringing the ladleful of sauce to his lips to taste test.

 “Needs some sugar.” He commented, handing it to her.

Shepard looked positively amazing as she cooked, the biotic memorizing the scene in his head, she was perfect dressed in sweatpants and her N7 hoodie, and he knew that he was ready to do what he’d prepared so long ago.

“Shepard,” he began, grabbing her attention as the song After Glow now played on the sound system, her blue eyes sparkling even in the artificial lighting of the kitchen, “will you marry me?” he asked, brown eyes full of hope as he looked at the love of his life.

“Yes,” Ariel replied with a bright smile, just as casually as he had proposed, “now pass me the basil.”  She instructed, earning a laugh from the Sentinel.

“Yes ma’am.” Kaidan responded, handing her the spice. It was just like his Shepard to turn such a huge decision into a simple yes, one of the many things he loved about her.

He’d give her the ring later, it was tucked away upstairs, but for now he was just content making dinner with his fiancée.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published fic (I have many half finished ones unpublished) so I hope you all liked it! Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts! 
> 
> My friend Lilith helped me make this easier to read dialogue wise, as it was a bit chunky before, so huge thanks to her!


End file.
